Terra Australis Incognita: Captain Cook's Dismissal of a Southern Continent

Authors

Lauren Arnold

Files

Description

For centuries, many believed that a southern continent, Terra Australis Incognita, must exist to offset the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere. In the late 1700s the British Admiralty sent Captain James Cook on his second voyage aboard the HMS Resolution to search for this southern continent. During this expedition, Cook became the first explorer to cross the Antarctic Circle, as he navigated through the high latitudes to find evidence of land. After repeated encounters with pack ice over the three years, he concluded that if a continent existed, it was inaccessible and of no commercial value. This conclusion brought British Antarctic exploration to a halt until the 1820s.

College Name

Honors College

Instructor Name

Reagan Grimsley

Publication Date

Spring 2025

Recommended Citation

Arnold, Lauren, "Terra Australis Incognita: Captain Cook's Dismissal of a Southern Continent" (2025). HON 399 Study Abroad Posters. 19.
https://louis.uah.edu/honors-399/19